


Catching Up

by BurnishRider



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-15 10:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21252233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurnishRider/pseuds/BurnishRider
Summary: Gueira and Meis find each other in an alley, some time after the dimensional breach was closed. Gueira wants to know what Meis has been up to since, but Meis seems uncomfortable with that idea.





	Catching Up

“So, what do you… Like, what do you _ do _?”

Meis can’t help but scoff quietly at his question.

“You’ve been with me all these years, I feel like you should know by now.”

“No,” Gueira aspirates with his hands tossed into the air. “Like, _ now _. What have you been doing since, y’know, the world stopped wanting to explode? Any hobbies, job stuff?”

A pause lingers on the tip of his tongue, a third suggestion to the question that he slowly withdraws and swallows back down. Even if it’s been decades since they met, Gueira knows some spots are still too sore for Meis to talk about. He was already pushing it when he asked about jobs, considering how the other backed up and sank into the wall behind him, hands crawling up to hug himself.

“It’s been… rough,” He starts. “I never hold anything down for longer than a few weeks, so I just kinda stopped trying.” Meis chews his lip a little, idling on the dry skin there for longer than he probably should. “Haven’t been able to have much fun, so no hobbies for me.”

Gueira can’t help but show sympathy in the way his lips purse, how his breath halts in his throat for a brief moment before it chips off into the air. He can’t say he’s been any better, he’s just been cruising open turf and traveling from one gas station to the next. Sometimes he visits Lio and Burning Rescue, whenever he remembers that Promepolis exists— well, he supposes it should be called New Promepolis now. Whatever.

That happens more often than he’d like to admit, mainly because he still hasn’t gotten over old habits; The flash of bitterness towards the rescue team, and the fact that he can’t stay far from his former leader for too long. On the bright side, having Lio work with Burning Rescue means he can raid their HQ for food or cash and get off scot free.

Oh, right. He could ask about Lio. 

“How about the boss, huh? Have you gotten to see him recently?”

Meis’ face contorts, and he practically tries to shove himself into the hard wall, as if trying to bury himself in the bricks scratching at his clothes and skin. His reply comes quick and snappy.

“Don’t _ say _ that,” He hisses. ”Don’t call him that.”

Meis holds himself tighter, fingers gripping hard into his arms. He wishes he didn’t stop his nails from growing out, otherwise he could have done something more to himself. Something to keep him distracted from this conversation he’s deciding he wants no part of. His vision gets a bit blurry, or maybe it’s just fine but he can’t quite _ see _ Gueira for some reason. He’s seeming to have difficulty hearing him and he can feel himself start to shell up.

“Agh, sore spot.”

Gueira’s interjection takes Meis out of the beginnings of a downward spiral. He looks up to the red-haired man and consciously tries to loosen the vice on himself. “... Yeah?” He usually uses a snarky tone when he responds this way, but this time it sounds earnest, almost shy.

“Sorry about that.”

Meis has a better time focusing on the conversation, and it becomes easier to let go of his arms. He thinks he’ll be okay.

“It’s… It’s alright.”

The air between the two ex-Burnish teases on the edge of becoming stale, and both men start to lose any body language that alluded to conversation. A gravelly sigh rumbles from Meis’ nose as he takes a breath to sigh the discussion onwards.

“It’s not that I don’t respect him or anything like that.” Meis’ stance slowly begins to relax, shoulders no longer looking tense. ”It’s just—Why should we still call him that when, well, there’s no reason to?”

A knowing hum wavers on Gueira’s lips, a soft sound of acknowledgement. “I hear ya, I really do.” He moves to Meis’ side, pausing for approval to stand by him. When he receives a silent nod, he takes a place besides him and leans against the wall they now share. “I guess I’m just too used to it. Feels weird _ not _ calling him that.”

Gueira leans his head back, eyes closing as he stills himself to breathe in the night air.

“I’d still do anything for him, y’know. Anything he’d ask for, I’d be there in a heartbeat.”

Meis feels his heart sink, and his eyelids follow suit. He knows all too well that he feels the exact same way, and he doesn’t need to say it for Gueira to know. “It stings to hear that,” He mumbles. “It makes me think of back then, when we were all together.”

He hates ever admitting that he misses Mad Burnish, but who wouldn’t? They were a ragtag family they forged themselves. No one could tell them what to do, and they all fought for a cause. Everyone had purpose there, everyone was welcome as family. Mad Burnish was the only family he had.

Meis rubs his face agonizingly slow. He can’t stop thinking about it and missing it, he’s been aching ever since the Promare left. The itch to burn still remains, but the absence of flame makes him feel hollow; He’s all fuel but no spark. Admitting any of this to Lio or Gueira would just denounce him as some sort of soft coward, he feels. Not that he’d ever admit that. He’s happy that the world is safer now, that everyone doesn’t need to fight anymore, but he still can’t shake that emptiness for the flame that fueled him for so many years.

“Hey,” Gueira whispers as he shuffles closer to Meis. Were they holding hands before? “You don’t have to say a whole speech on what’s going on in your brain, okay?”

It’s a relief but part of him wants to try. At least the parts he’s comfortable telling him about. “I appreciate it,” He replies. “I just at least want to say that I…”

His breath hangs still for a moment, suspended in his chest that still aches horribly for fire. For Mad Burnish. For both Lio and Gueira.

“... I want to call him that again. It just feels weird because we’re not… together. Anymore.”

Meis wants to add more but his voice cracks, and he coughs out a non-subtle sob. Gueira notices this and presses closer into Meis’ side, cold air collapsing between their faces as they feel each other’s warmth.

“Hey, you’re gonna be okay.” Gueira coos, thumbing over the apple of the other’s cheek. “I bet you he misses the fuck out of you, yeah? Coulda sworn he keeps asking for you when I drop by!”

He doesn’t know if that’s entirely true, mainly due to the fact that he only ever comes by for free stuff, and he realizes he should probably be less crass about when he does that. Upon discovering that, he feels that the both of them have some things they should work on if they want to stay on good terms with Lio. He promises to himself that he’ll do better. For now though, he hones his attention back on Meis. Realizing he’s been idle for the past minute, Gueira clears his throat and backs up a bit to give him some space. Meis mumbles a thanks and takes a deep breath to stable himself after his earlier choke.

“I don’t know when I’ll be ready to go over,” He admits. “I just know it won’t be for a while. I can’t have him see me like this.”

Gueira is genuinely puzzled, and has to look him up and down to try and sort any visual differences from when he last saw him. “What do you mean? I think you look just fine.” He cocks an eyebrow and squints hard. Is he missing something?

“I just… I just have nothing. I’ve been out of a job, ass broke again. And I can barely afford to keep myself together. I’m just like—“

“— Like how I found you?”

Meis can’t be bothered to stare daggers into Gueira. His head hangs in acceptance at his interruption.

“Pretty much,” He wanders through his words. “Don’t like saying it out loud, though.”

It takes a moment, but Gueira smiles warmly and scoots a little closer. “He won’t mind, you know. He wouldn’t have teamed up with us back then if he had a problem being with two broke motherfuckers at the bottom of the bottle. And if he has a problem now, he’s gotta answer to us two, and you and I are the best thing since peanuts and butter.”

A stifled snicker stumbles out from between Meis’ lips. He’d correct him, but has a feeling Gueira is doing that on purpose to get a smile out of him. Well, it definitely did its job.

“Gueira,” He sighs. “You’re a fucking fool. An idiot motherfucker, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Before the other could retort and defend himself, Meis leans over to press their lips together. It lasts a few seconds at best, but it feels far longer than that, like any kiss would. Gueira’s eyes flutter against the other’s cheeks, too flustered to do much else. He feels Meis smiling against his skin as he pulls away, tickled by the butterfly kiss that he didn’t intend on giving to him. Meis’ tongue darts out to wet his lips in thought, and decides on accepting it as a bonus.

“Tell you what, I’ll go with. Next time you’re gonna see him, call me or something. I’m using SIM cards, so it may be a bit—“

A few frantic waves of Gueira’s hands cut him off.

“Nonono, I’ll do you better.” He shovels something out from his pockets, and opens his hand to reveal a set of keys. “Come with me, baby. I’ll ride you around like how we used to. I’ll take you there myself, and I’ll take you everywhere in between.”

A slight roll in Meis’ eyes end their arc at a flash of pink that stains his cheeks. Decision made, it looks like he’s about to reach up and swipe Gueira’s keys. He ignores them momentarily and holds his hand instead.

“Warm up my seat for me.”

“Wouldn’t be hard with this hot ass.”

A soft yelp of Floridian pain sounds off the walls as Meis teasingly tugs at his ear, pulling him towards his ride.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!!! This is the first fic I published in FOREVER so I hope my skills still hold up. Also I apologize if the formatting looks weird, I wrote 99% of this on my phone and well. Formatting didn't carry over well to desktop OOPS


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